Comments on: The Oxford Hotel Responds To Harbour City Bears’ Venue Change

By: Dean E.

Dean E. — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 23:40:34 +0000

It’s disappointing and a real shame that this has happened as the Harbour City Bears have been for many years, and continue to be, really fabulous Ambassadors for not only Mardi Gras and all it’s visitors but for the Sydney LGBTQIA+ community.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 22:07:15 +0000

Totally agree with Tony Barhoum’s succinct sentiments. Loads of Oxford street business are now owned by those who think they make a profit off the gay community. And insert their own idea of what the community at large wants. Goes a long way to show why there are so many empty shops along Oxford street.
I love the diversity of our community, and I wish the vibe would come back. But the new generations, don’t seem to have the grit and determination of previous generations, to put their own stamp on the scene.
Along with all the physical redevelopment of the area, I can’t see it changing.

By: Tony Barhoum

Tony Barhoum — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 02:00:44 +0000

Oxford Street has undergone a seismic transformation—and only recently did I experience a moment of piercing clarity. The vibrant heartbeat that once pulsed through the LGBTQ+ community here feels eerily absent. What was once a sanctuary shaped by those who lived and breathed queer identity has been hollowed out, replaced by a polished façade of corporate branding and commercial interests.
I was stunned to realise that the soul of our scene—our bars, our venues, even Mardi Gras itself—has been commodified. These spaces no longer feel like they belong to us. They’re run like businesses, curated for optics, and stripped of the raw authenticity that once made them electric. And everywhere I turned, another drag queen—each one seemingly slotted in like a party prop, a caricature of what once was radical performance art. It’s become formulaic, like hiring clowns for entertainment, rather than celebrating drag as a living, breathing expression of queer culture.
The substance is gone. The grit, the joy, the rebellion—it’s all been replaced by something sterile and marketable. No wonder the Bears are drifting away. I don’t blame them. When the essence disappears, what’s left to hold onto?